IDPH 'Deeply Concerned' Following Recommendation Change On Hepatitis B Birth Dose

Citing a 99 percent drop in hepatitis B infection among U.S. children since universal newborn vaccination began in 1991, the Illinois Department of Public Health is rebuking Friday's decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending a birth dose of the vaccine for all newborns.

The CDC's vaccine advisory panel on immunization practices voted 8-3 to recommend individual-based decision-making for parents deciding whether to give the hepatitis B vaccine, including the birth dose, to infants born to women who test negative for the virus. For infants not receiving the birth dose, ACIP is now suggesting in its recommendation that the initial dose be administered no earlier than two months of age.

"As a pediatrician and a parent, I am deeply concerned by this shift away from universal newborn vaccination, particularly in the absence of any new scientific evidence to support such a change," Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of IDPH, said in a statement. "In Illinois, we remain committed to science-based public health policy and have recently enshrined into law vaccine access and a state-level structure to provide evidenced-based recommendations."

In June, Robert Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, fired the 17 sitting members of the ACIP committee and replaced them with his own choices following an executive order by President Donald Trump. That same month, Kennedy claimed the hepatitis B birth doses ins a "likely culprit" of autism.

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According to IDPH, the current guidance in Illinois remains unchanged, with its own advisory committee meeting on Dec. 16 to review the ACIP recommendation. Earlier this fall, IDPH had adopted the CDC immunization schedules, which had been revised in August. Those schedules had recommended hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns.

"For decades, the best available science has shown that administering the hepatitis B vaccine at birth is safe, effective, and critical in preventing chronic liver disease and liver cancer later in life," Vohra said.

According to Vohra, who praised Governor JB Pritzker's "commitment to maintaining the highest standards of public health," proactive measures made in the state will prevent barriers to the hepatitis B vaccine and other "life-saving" vaccines.